School library media specialist, youth services librarian, information management resource officer... We have many titles but we are all technically librarians.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

SLMS 2007 Opening session-Toni Buzzeo

The 2007 session of SLMS in NY opening speaker was Toni Buzzeo. Her construct was entitled "Collaborating from the Center of your School Universe: Beyond the Basics to Advocacy". She is very passionate about collaboration. She talked about how information is either causing the collapse of schools or accelerating the growth of learning. She commented that positive growth encourages expansion.

Toni defines collaboration as "The process by which we learn/design, team teach, & team evaluate." Students need to know, understand, and be able to "do" whatever learning task is set. She mention Information Power I which was published in 1988 and was the beginning of the concept of collaboration. Information Power II stated that collaborative energy powers the library media program.

To follow her universe construct, she mentioned that productive collision courses (running into a teacher in the hall) provide an exchange of ideas. (Like when stars collide, energy in produced.) Collaboration is a source of energy and that it provides a juncture of standards that meet with student needs.

(She did a great job refocusing the group and had total audience buy in)

Teachers each have individual strengths and differences you have to tap in on. Toni's 3 types of teachers:

Oh Yeahs! (the risk takers)Yeah, buts... (watching to be convinced)No Way (but if the principal sets a goal...)

(She used statistics from the Nations report card to great effect.)

Librarians need to use the weaknesses of their school found on their state testing data to open the door to collaboration. The key is student achievement. You can obtain your school's testing data from Data Mentor. (usually available through BOCES).

Steps:Identify unit of studyUse dataIdentify skillsconstructed responsesubskillsLMS documents how data has been improved.

Students have to learn something 24 times to reach 80% competency.

(Toni mentioned the Marzano book Classroom Instruction that Works)

Toni's advice:

On going partnership among teacher/librarian

Skills taught must be useful and applicable

teacher/librarian teams must monitor progress through skills

teacher/librarian team must document student achievement

She also mentioned the flyer available for download through http://www.ala.org about Your school media program and NCLB that is provided for principals.